TRON: Legacy (3D)

“Perfection isn’t attainable, it is right in front of you.”

SOME REALLY GOOD TRON IMAGES HERE!!!

Swift Shot:  Romantic nostalgia.  Digital intercourse for your brain.  The little kid in you will secretly catalog all the cool new toys, and you’ll be wanting a few under the tree this year – I know I am.  Tron: Legacy is worth the wait! Hard to believe the original was released in 1982, but twenty-eight years later and Disney is still setting the bar for creative excellence.

Tron: Legacy is a sci-fi film on the surface and an endearing father-son story at its core.  In 1989, we see Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) having a heart to heart with his son, Sam (Owen Best) about a miracle he discovered at his company.  Flynn tells his son that soon they will change the world, together.  But, his father leaves that night and is never seen again – the world says the pressure was too much and Flynn just checked out. (We all know better, immediately, or at least those who saw the original know).

Jaded and daring, the adult Sam (Garrett Hedlund) thrives on danger and showmanship as he pays a yearly visit to the firm that he inherited, Encom.  His little stunts serve to annoy the current board of Encom but serve no purpose beyond a metaphorical “up yours” to the people he perceives as his father’s past tormentors.

Oh, you were wondering about Lora/Yori (Cindy Morgan)?  Me too, but it is explained early on, she died when Sam was just a small child.  So, Sam has some isolation issues, but adrenaline keeps him company, that and his little dog.  Not to mention he is a freaking genius millionaire with a Ducati and a nice little abode right on the water.  Still, the empathy for his character is there.  Remember, his father was a cocky SOB too . . . maybe a little too cocky.

Following one of these little stunts, Sam is visited by his new father figure, Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxlightner) who lets him know about a page he received, a page from his dad’s old office at the arcade, Flynn’s.  Immediately, the adventure seeking Sam is intrigued and decides to check it out.  He finds a secret room in Flynn’s which leads to (if you can’t see this coming you must be a Senator) the Grid.  The Grid, in Flynn’s words is a digital frontier, with clusters of information traveling through the computer, with ships and motorcycles and circuits like freeways.  But, oh gentle viewer, the Grid has undergone major reconstruction since 1982 – just wait til you “get in”.

There was a strange disclaimer before the 3D version began letting you know to keep your glasses on the whole time as some of the scenes were shot in 2D and 3D and essentially “there is nothing wrong with your set (or eyes) the diffusion you are about to experience is part of the show”.  About half way into the movie, you will understand why they released that disclaimer.  But, once you get into the Grid, things go from great to amazing.

Screenwriters Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis know this is what we all came to see and why we are willing to wear gaudy 3D glasses for over two hours, risking headaches and epilepsy.  Once you see the light-cycle match, you won’t even care if you are throwing up on the poor family in front of you.  And, thank you to whoever decided to slow down the best digital action sequences throughout the film.  There was not an iota of laziness in this film’s execution.  Every freakin’ pixel was painstakingly molly-coddled until it was perfect and flawless.

As Sam encounters the Grid, he doesn’t have a lot of time to let things sink in or even be amazed; immediately he realizes his dad is an uber-genius who actually managed to create the Grid which he is now a part of, whether by accident or design.  The thrill-seeker in him is adept at one thing, survival.  Which is good as he follows the first piece of advice he receives after the “selection officer” gives him his next destination “Games”.  Immediately he is thrust into an arena, it’s Tron’s Deadly Disks with a modern upgrade like you won’t believe – complete with something missing from the last film, a crowd to cheer and jeer the players, in the Grid referred to as “programs”.  Sam is a user, and he realizes his odds of surviving the arena are nil, as he faces off against the Boba-Fett like Rinzler.

Yes, Boba-Fett like, I said that on purpose, there are many nods to several other films, not just sci-fi.  Some are blatant and some will require you to use your imagination a bit.  I found these little nods wonderful and playful, you may call them rip-offs, I choose to call them homages.

Sam’s escape gets the attention of the master of the games, a yellow-highlighted, masked figure who shows him limited mercy by assigning him to game-on and try his luck at light cycles.  Before Sam can complete his task, another masked figure appears in some bad-ass vehicle (that hopefully will be sitting under my tree this year) and breaks him out into the badlands of the Grid.  His masked savior is revealed as Quorra (Olivia Wilde) who reminded me a little of Leeloo in her initial scenes but manages to self-develop as the film progressed. I can’t say too much more about what happens, suffice to say it is an emotional adventure, as Sam finds his father and learns about the miracle and the dangers of seeking perfection.

The characters of the Grid are engaged in a veritable fashion show as they enter the stage pea-cocking to the audience their individual personalities, but hidden secrets lie behind the masks of at least three of the characters.  Again, I am not saying anymore on this.Kudos to Costume Designer Michael Wilkinson, he had me nodding in approval right up to when we got to meet Castor (Michael Sheen), then I wanted to pluck out my eyes (or at least remove the 3D glasses), Castor’s appearance was cheesy right down to the light up cane, thrown in to pay homage to Charlie Chaplin, apparently.

The F/X in this film are ground-breaking, again, the director didn’t hide imperfections in fast-paced shots, he slowed things down so you get the full digital effect, and in 3D no less!  The cinematography, epic is the only word that comes close, the scenes in Center City were just as immersing as the streets in the Grid.  The transitions from scene to scene and location to location are well delivered.  What can I say about Daft Punk’s musical styling?  I haven’t wanted to buy a soundtrack this badly since I saw Top Gun, the first soundtrack album I ever got.  The way the film-makers incorporate the sound is stellar and nothing short of brilliant.  Nods to the classic again come in auditory form, with little hints to the 80s as even Flynn’s jargon and slang resonate from that era.

What didn’t I like?  At times I felt the movie didn’t have enough action, but this was more an adventure film, so I let it pass.  And, brother when the action happens, it is blistering and fierce.  One thing I found the nerd in me nitpicking on, was the fact that these programs had mundane lives outside of their schematics – I mean, a drunk program on the street, how could that happen?  I wanted more out of the tanks, yes, they aren’t as cool as some of the new toys in Tron, but they were my favorite as a kid and I missed seeing them in action, and 28 years have passed – sad to say, you don’t get any action from the old tanks.  The uber-nerds out there will feel my pain.

I was un-impressed with Michael Sheen as Castor, even though he did a fine job; I just felt his character and the Gem character pointless (granted she was sizzling to look at, played by the drop-dead gorgeous Beau Garrett).

Fans of the original have been waiting 28 years – most of the people that will see it this weekend probably never even saw the original and even fewer in theaters.  For my part, I saw Tron with my dad when I was 8 and I never looked at the world the same again; every time I played an arcade game, I worried about the little pixelated warriors doing my bidding.  This will entice the old guard fans to see how much technology has played a part in their lives – and how much further we have come in less than three decades.

This is fore-most a story about reconciliation, but what bothered me personally was Disney excluding Cindy Morgan from this new film as she desperately wanted to be a part of it.  I understand why they did it, because her part just didn’t fit anywhere with this new adventure.  And, adventure it was, as I mentioned it has slow parts that kids may find themselves mentally fast-forwarding through.  There is a lot of intrigue going on and perhaps not enough action, but the overall package is served up to this action fan’s satisfaction.

This was a legendary, exotic, sensual, important, digital delight, Walt would be immensely proud of his people on this project!  Checking this out in theaters is a must!!